Hard Talk – Healthcare cost burden

By Nasik Swami: Payroll tax on GPs, increasing costs for GP visits, and a complicated Medicare scheme—is our health system failing our communities and the most vulnerable? Are the increasing healthcare costs becoming a deterrent for people in our district to visit a GP/doctor and seek treatment when our public hospitals are already overcrowded? Who should be held accountable for the burden of the extra healthcare costs people in country towns are facing? The Royal Australian College of GPs and the Australian Medical Association have warned the payroll tax would force clinics to pass on the cost to patients, end bulk billing, or shut down completely. In this edition of Hard Talk, The News digs deep into the much talked about GP payroll tax, the increasing cost of seeing a GP in country towns like Naracoorte, and a review of our Medicare system. We asked the SA Health Minister Chris […]

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MP, staff injured in boating incident

Federal member for Barker and assistant shadow minister for Fisheries and Forestry Tony Pasin and one of his staff members were injured in a boating incident while undertaking official duties in Tasmania.

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Fresh hope for radiotherapy

The long-running campaign to establish radiotherapy services in the Limestone Coast has gained fresh momentum, with renewed consideration being given to delivering cancer treatment closer to home for regional patients.

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COUNCIL CORNER

The Naracoorte Lucindale Council is trialling a Hard Waste Voucher system for 2026-27.

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Tourism leadership moves to RDALC

The Regional Tourism Organisation for the Limestone Coast will move from the Limestone Coast Local Government Association (LCLGA) to Regional Development Australia – Limestone Coast (RDALC), marking a new chapter for tourism leadership and collaboration across the region.

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Barker rejects gun buyback scheme

Federal member for Barker Tony Pasin has welcomed the Albanese government’s failure to meet its deadline for the proposed national firearm buyback scheme, describing it as a victory for common sense and the thousands of law-abiding firearm owners across Barker who stood up against the proposal.

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Grants for meaningful regional activities

Nutrien is partnering with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) to provide eligible not-for-profit groups (NFPs) access to a share of its $250,000 Community Grants Program.

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